BuckyCap: Jonathan Taylor Puts the Team on His Back

Jonathan Taylor is a top-five running back in the country. No one disputes that about him. We hadn’t seen a big Taylor performance all year where he rattled off some big runs and finished with an absurd amount of yards until Saturday. Taylor had his best game of the year with 321 yards on the ground with a few touchdowns to carry Wisconsin to a 47-44 3OT victory snapping a two-game losing streak. Wisconsin had not lost three straight games in a season since 2008, and Paul Chryst will keep that streak alive for another year. Truly dominating performance on the ground for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin found a way in the fourth quarter
With the way the Badger run the football, they’re not built for big comebacks. That’s not Badger football per say, but they figured it out on Saturday. Wisconsin trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter and tied this game up with about three minutes left. Jack Coan did a great job in helping aid the comeback. He didn’t look spectacular but the young quarterback managed the game nicely. Coan found Danny Davis twice in the end zoe in the fourth quarter. Taylor helped this team in overtime as Purdue wore down, and the Badgers took advantage.

Andrew Van Ginkel was everywhere
What a game from Andrew Van Ginkel. He finished with 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Van Ginkel always made a play when the defense needed the most. He was buzzing around all game long. The play of the day might have been his punch strip in the first half to keep Purdue from scoring their first touchdown. If the Boilermakers score there, the game is likely out of reach by the fourth quarter. Van Ginkel has become of the premier players on this Badgers defense and definitely a leader for the 2019 season.

Jonathan Taylor’s best game ever
Even though the stakes weren’t as high as some games last year, this is clearly Taylor’s best game as a college athlete. He averaged 9.7 yards a carry. One of his best through his two-year career. He had three touchdowns tying a career-high which he’s done three times in his career. Taylor looked fresh in the overtime period bursting through the holes and making him impossible to stop on the ground.

Next up
It’s the battle for the axe. Minnesota could be bowl eligible with a victory. We’ve heard that story before with the Gophers, and they fail to capitalize at the axe game. It’s been since 2003 for the Golden Gophers to hold up Paul Bunyan’s axe, and if you add winning it in Madison, it’s been since 1994. That’s absolutely wild. You know P.J. Fleck will have his boys ready